It was a welcome change from a month ago, when Walker emailed What's Your Problem? to complain her purchase of a short-sale home was gummed up in bureaucracy.

Walker had been searching for a handicapped-accessible house that could accommodate her disabled daughter's wheelchair.

The Lockport house seemed a perfect fit. It was accessible for Sarah, 29, and affordable, having been offered for short sale by its previous owner. Walker placed an offer on the house Dec. 26 and signed a contract to purchase it two days later.

At the time, she hoped the seller's mortgage holder, Chase, would quickly approve the sale. Instead, it languished for months.

When the Problem Solver inquired about the case last month, a Chase spokeswoman said there had been numerous miscommunications since December, and Chase did not receive the contract for the sale until May 2.

Chase approved the sale two days after the Problem Solver asked about the situation. In the subsequent column that ran June 9, all parties were hopeful the remaining paperwork would quickly be completed.

Walker said there were some obstacles along the way but Chase employees worked hard to rectify everything and keep the process moving.

"They went out of their way to make this go through without a hitch," Walker said. "The financial side was never the issue, however, the administrators made it a priority to ensure the transaction went well."

Walker said she and her daughter plan to move into their new house in about a week. She promised to send a picture from inside the home. The Problem Solver can't wait to see it.

Flood of activity

It has been a while since that last downpour in Elmhurst.

That's fine with Wayne Pukala, who has used the relatively dry spell to make progress on the flooding issue in his backyard.

Pukala, featured in the June 23 column, had filed a claim with ComEd, saying the electric company inadvertently drilled through his drainpipe while installing a new utility pole last summer.

With the pipe broken, water pooled for days after heavy rains, causing problems for him and several of his neighbors.

After the Problem Solver inquired about the case, ComEd agreed to pay for repairs and asked Pukala to get two estimates.

To cover his bases, he called three contractors and had each examine the situation. He received two of the bids and is waiting on the third before he forwards the results to ComEd.

"We're plugging along," he said. "I'm going to get a third just to see where everybody is at."